Musical Names

  1. Bellamy
    • Origin:

      English and Irish from French
    • Meaning:

      "fine friend"
    • Description:

      Bellamy is a surname name with an admirable meaning and upbeat rhythm, similar to jovial choices like Rafferty, Barnaby and Willoughby.
  2. Cadao
    • Origin:

      Vietnamese
    • Meaning:

      "song"
    • Description:

      Rhythmic and captivating.
  3. Calandra
    • Origin:

      Greek
    • Meaning:

      "lark"
    • Description:

      Calista Flockhart opened the door to a whole flock of graceful and unusual Greek names like this. Some others are Calantha, Calla, Carissa, and Cassia.
  4. Cantrelle
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "song"
    • Description:

      Vocal name seldom heard, with most elle-ending names these days dropped in favor of the more straightforward Elle and Ella.
  5. Chanson
    • Duana
      • Origin:

        Irish
      • Meaning:

        "song"
      • Description:

        Name your daughter Duana after a Duane relative if you like, but please pronounce it doo-ahn-a and not doo-wain-a.
    • Kalliope
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "beautiful voice"
      • Description:

        Original form of the more familiar Calliope, the muse of epic poetry.
    • Lark
      • Origin:

        English bird name
      • Description:

        Lark is getting some new and well-deserved attention as a post-Robin and Raven bird name. Although it was first recorded as a name in the 1830's, it has never appeared on the Social Security list.
    • Ligeia
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "clear-voiced, whistling"
      • Description:

        One of the Sirens in Greek mythology, Ligeia was also the title character in an Edgar Allan Poe story. The mythological Ligeia was half-bird, half-woman. Spelling may also be Lygeia or Ligia.
    • Madrigal
      • Origin:

        Latin
      • Meaning:

        "song for unaccompanied voices"
      • Description:

        Madrigal might be a pretty and highly distinctive choice for a child of a musical family--or for the parent looking for a less conventional path to the nickname Maddie than Madeline or Madison . Definitely more striking than Cadence or even the increasingly popular Aria.
    • Mandolin
      • Origin:

        French, musical intrument
      • Description:

        Mandolin may seem like an outlandish choice for a name, but since BANJO has been used as a baby name, all the instruments in the band seem to be auditioning for a place on birth certificates. This one comes with a real name nickname, MANDY.
    • Mavis
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "songbird"
      • Description:

        Mavis, another word for the song thrush, is also a relative of the Welsh word for strawberries, mefus. Mavis has something of a British World War II feel, a friend of Beryl and Doris, but it was quite popular in the U.S. a couple of decades earlier, peaking in the Roaring Twenties. With the renewed interest in names ending in 's' — and in bird names — Mavis could make a return, especially with the new interest in Maeve, and in fact, it reentered the US Top 1000 after a 50-year absence in 2016.
    • Odele
      • Origin:

        English from Greek
      • Meaning:

        "song"
      • Description:

        Sounds a lot like the recently revived Adele.
    • Philomela
      • Origin:

        Greek
      • Meaning:

        "lover of songs"
      • Description:

        Philomela, the name of a mythological Athenian princess who was transformed into a nightingale, is rarely heard outside the Greek community. The mellifluous Philomela might make a more distinctive and prettier update for Pamela or Phyllis. Philomela may also be a good choice for a music-lover's daughter. Try Pippa or Millie for short.
    • Piper
      • Origin:

        English occupational name
      • Meaning:

        "pipe or flute player"
      • Description:

        Piper is a bright, musical name that entered the list in 1999, one year after the debut of the TV series Charmed, which featured a Piper, and it's been a consistent riser since. Piper Kerman is the memoirist whose prison experiences provided the basis for the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black.
    • Rhapsody
      • Origin:

        French, musical term
      • Description:

        Could be seen as extravagantly ecstatic for a baby name, though feel free to rhapsodize about your little girl, whatever her name.
    • Robin
      • Origin:

        Bird name, or English, diminutive of Robert
      • Meaning:

        "bright fame"
      • Description:

        After a 60 year slide down the popularity ladder, Robin made a turnaround in 2020 and began climbing back into favor for baby girls. One reason may be its new status as one of the most evenly-divided gender neutral names.
    • Rosamund
      • Origin:

        German
      • Meaning:

        "horse protection"
      • Description:

        This lovely, quintessentially British appellation, also spelled Rosamond, is the name of a legendary twelfth-century beauty. Rare on these shores, it is more than worthy of importation.
    • Sonnet
      • Origin:

        English from Italian
      • Meaning:

        "little song"
      • Description:

        Could there be a more poetic name than Sonnet? Actor Forest Whitaker was inspired to choose it for his daughter.
    • Tehila
      • Origin:

        Hebrew
      • Meaning:

        "praise song"
      • Description:

        Tehila may at first appeal as a distinctive choice. Danger: might tend to sound like a mispronunciation of tequila.